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“It’s not a request.” Taking the photocopy from my bag, I slide it across the table. “If anything happens to Ian, me, or anyone that means anything to him, this goes straight to your superior.”
He barely spares the image a glance. “My superior is well acquainted with this photo.”
“I don’t think he is.”
“What makes you so sure?” he asks with a smirk.
“Because, Detective Wolfe, if he was familiar with this photo, your team members would’ve long since discovered what I have.”
He goes rigid. “If this is a ploy to win your boyfriend time to escape—”
“Look closely.”
He narrows his eyes but drops his gaze to the printout. I see the exact moment he spots the cufflink. His smug smile slips. His face goes as white as the foam of the water behind him.
I push to my feet. “I’ve sent copies to various people who’ll release them to the media if anything happens to Ian, his gang members, or me. Goodbye, Detective Wolfe. I look forward to never seeing you again.”
He sits like a statue, letting me walk away.
The man studying me over the rim of his menu shoots a flabbergasted look at Wolfe as I walk past his table.
My insides are coiled into a tight knot as I cross the lobby. The two men throw down the brochures and stare at me with slack jaws, but they don’t follow. They didn’t expect me to leave like this. The picture they envisioned probably entailed me leaving with Wolfe in a police van.
It’s only in the Jeep that I let my mask slip. My hand shakes as I turn the key. The engine roars to life. I nearly faint with relief when I pull out of the parking lot and no vehicles follow. Dragging in a few deep breaths, I try to calm my erratic heartbeat as I drive to the market. I grab a shopping bag from the back and weave through the aisles, paying little attention to the fruit and vegetables I dump into the bag. At each stall, I pay with the cash in my purse.
When the bag is almost too heavy to carry, I throw it into the back of the Jeep and head toward the lodge. How do I break the news to Ian?
The truth gets stuck like a pill in my throat. As long as my knowledge is the trump card that keeps us safe, I can never tell Ian. If he knows Wolfe is Nick’s killer, he’ll want to expose him. If Wolfe is exposed, I have nothing to hold over his head. Even if Wolfe is fired and convicted, he’ll find a way to come after us. I don’t doubt it for a minute. The only way of keeping us safe is making sure the sword I hold over Wolfe’s head remains my secret. I’ll always carry a lie in my heart. Knowing I’ll forever hide a truth from Ian kills me, but this is my sacrifice. This is the burden I’ll carry for the sake our love, for the sake of our child.
It’s only then I think again about the other news I have to tell Ian. Biting my lip, I cup a trembling palm over my stomach.
Chapter 19
Ian
Ruben walks up when I arrive from the airport with Shona. The engine of the Hummer is still idling when he gets my door.
“Ian, we have to talk.”
I step from the vehicle, irritated to be bulldozed before I’ve even entered the building. “It can wait.”
“It can’t,” he says to my back.
He’s testing my patience. I turn slowly, about to put him back in his place, but his words still me.
“It’s about Cas.”
Garai, who’s filling bird feeders, drops the bag of seed and says in a rush, “She went to town for supplies. She told me, Ian. I said it’s okay. If anyone is to blame, it’s me.”
The news catches me off guard. I’m immobile as I let the information settle. She went to town on her own. My first reaction is fear, fear that she’ll run, but the reason I left her the Jeep and a gun is to prove I trust her.
It takes effort to calm myself and focus on that fact. She gave me her trust. It’s time I do the same. Wasn’t that the point of giving her freedom? To prove to myself more than anyone she’s staying out of her own, sweet will?
It takes every ounce of willpower I possess and more to shrug it off. “She’s a big girl. I’m sure she’ll be fine.”
Garai sags with visible relief. I’m not sure if he was more worried about the repercussion for him or Cas. My money is on the latter.
Shona touches my arm and says softly, “You trust her, remember?”
I pull my attention back to her. She sounds and looks tired. “Why don’t you take a couple of days to settle in? We’ll manage things in the kitchen.”
